The author of The Food of a Younger Land, Salt, and The Big Oyster here offers the intriguing history of San Pedro de Macorís, an impoverished sugar-producing area in the Dominican Republic that has produced a staggering number of Major League Baseball players. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other players who came up in San Pedro's sugar mill teams flocked to the United States, looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life. Mark Kurlansky reveals how the story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the 20th and 21st centuries, and opens a unique window into our own country's history.